Means for supplying fluid under pressure to a shaft



Patented Aug. 6, 1940 MEANS FOR SUPPLYING FLUII) mm PRESSURE To A SHAFT William F. Longfield, Cleveland, Ohio Application March 22, 1939. Serial No. 263,560

2 Claims. (01. 285+96.3)

This invention relates generally toa conduit fitting or coupling, and more specifically to mech- Another object of the invention is the provision of novel and eflicient means, in combination with the mechanism for supplying fluid to the interior 15 of arapidly revolving shaft, for preventing the loss of fluid around the exterior of the shaft, and

which will eliminate the frequent adjustment and replacement of the packing.

Other and more limited objects of the inven- N tion will be apparent from the following speciflcation and the accompanying drawing forming a part thereof, wherein Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section through one form of my invention; Figure 2, a transverse section taken on the 25 line 22 of Figure 1; Figure 3 a section on line 3-3 of Figure 1, and Figure 4 is a. view similar to Figure 1 of a modified form of my invention. Referring now to the drawing, by reference characters, the numeral i designates a rotatable .30 shaft, which is supported in suitable bearings not shown. This shaft extends through a bore 2 in a sleeve 3 which is fastened to any suitable stationary support 4. Any suitable means may be employed for holding this sleeve stationary. In

I the form shown herein, this means comprises an I Fluid is supplied under high pressure to the.

recess 1 and thence through the bores 8 and 9 to the aforesaid hydraulically operated mechanism by a pump l0, which draws fluid (preferably oil) from a reservoir Ii and forces it under high 50 pressure througha pipe l2 into the recess 1. A valve l3 in the pipe l2, which may be either manually or automatically operated, controls the admission of fluid to the recess 1, and thus controls the operation of any mechanism operated II by this fluid. When the valve I3 is in one position itconnects the pump l with the recess I,

.and when in another position disconnects the pump I II from recess 1 and connects it to a return pipe ll, through which the fluid is returned to the reservoir.-

In practice the diameter of the bore 2 is a few thousandths of an inch greater than the diameter of the shaft I, so that oil may seep from the recess 1 along the shaft l within the bore 2 and thus lubricate the bore 2 and that part of 1 the shaft I therein, so as to prevent wear of these parts due to the rapid rotation of the shaft I.

In order to prevent oil from escaping from the sleeve 3 around the, exterior of the shaft i suitable means are provided in the ends of the sleeve 3. In the formshown in Figures 1 to 3, this means comprises oil seals ofstandard wellknown construction which comprises generally an annular flanged ring of leather or other suitable material I 6 and a helical spring I! which are 30 inserted in grooves I formed in the ends of the sleeve 3 and retained therein by light metal plates l8 which are bolted to the sleeve 3 by bolts l9. These seals are not constructed to withstand .high pressures; consequently some means must 35 be provided to reduce the pressure of the oil seeping along the exterior of the shaft I from the recess 1 before it comes into engagement with these seals.

For this purpose, annular grooves are provided between the recess 1 and the oil seals. These grooves are of lesser diameter than the grooves l5, and stand inwardly therefrom. A passageway 2i, formed within the sleeve 3, establishes communication between the two grooves 20, and a pipe 22 connects this passageway 2l with the oil reservoir II. The pressure in the grooves 20, conduit 2|, and pipe 22, is substantially the same as the pressure in the reservoir l l, which in turn is a great deal less than the 0 pressure at which the oil or fluid is forced into the recess 1. The oil seeping along the shaft I through the bore 2 in the sleeve 3 will enter the grooves 20, and be drained back through the passageway 2| and pipe 22 to the reservoir ll. It will thus be apparent that the pressure of any oil seeping along the shaft I through the bore 2 will be greatly reduced before coming in contact with the oil seals in the grooves l5. This will permit the use of light oil seals of this character which due to the low pressure of the oil coming in contact therewith do not have to engage the shaft 1 tightly to prevent the leakage of oil thereby, and thus, due to this light engagement with the shaft i will need no adjustment ll and will last a long time without replacement.

In the form shown in Figure 4, the shaft I'- does not extend entirely through the sleeve 3, but terminates within an annular recess 20', formed as an enlarged extension of the bore 2*. The sleeve 3 has formed therein an annular recess 1, which is in communication with the longitudinal bore l in the shaft I through a transverse bore, I. In this form isshown another type of standard packing gland, which comprises an annular recess 25 in one end of the sleeve 3', in which is secured any suitable packing 28 by means of a gland nut 21, held in place and adjusted longitudinally by means of bolts 28. An annular groove, 20' is formed with the sleeve 3- between the recess 1' and the packing gland.

Conduit il establishes communication between the annular recess 20 and the groove 20. In this form as in the form shown Figures 1 to 3, oil is supplied under high pressure to the recess 1* from the pump ll, through the pipe l2; and oil is drained from the recess 20 and the groove 2. back to the reservoir ll through the pipe 22.

It is to be understood that the particular type of oil seal, or packing gland used is merely a matter of choice. The packing gland shown in Figure 4 could be used in place of the oil seals shown in Figure l; and the oil seals shown in Figure 1 could be used in the form shown in' Figure 4 instead of the packing gland illustrated herein.

From the foregoing, it would be apparent to those skilled in this art that I have provided a very simple and efllcient structure for accomplishing the objects of my invention. It is to be understood that I am not limited to the particular forms shown and described herein, but that I am limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In an assembly comprising, a shaft having a longitudinal bore therein, a sleeve having a packing gland at an end thereof thru which the shaft extends, said sleeve having an annular recess intermediate the ends thereof surrounding said shaft and in constant communication with the bore therein, means for supplying fluid under high pressure to said recess and means for preventing the full pressure of the fluid from being applied to the said packing gland, said second mentioned means comprising a circumferential groove in said sleeve intermediate said annular recess'and said packing gland for receiving fluid seeping along the shaft and means for drawing ofl fluid from said groove to prevent the building up of pressure therein.

2. In an assembly comprising a shaft having a longitudinal bore therein, a sleeve having a packing gland at each end thereof thru which the shaft extends, said sleeve having an annular recess intermediate the ends thereof surrounding the shaft and in constant communication with the bore therein, means for supplying fluid under high pressure to said recess and means for preventing the full pressure of the fluid from being applied to the packing glands, said second mentioned means comprising a pair of circumferential grooves in said sleeve for receiving fluid seeping along the shaft, one groove intermediate each packing gland and said annular recess and means for drawing off fluid from the grooves to prevent the building up of pressure therein.

F. LONGFIELD. 

